Dear Families,

It is hard to believe that the 2024- 2025 school year is now halfway complete! Students and teachers are back in full swing and we are looking forward to seeing the continued growth as we enter 2025. As always, we are appreciative of your support and encouragement.

As the weather turns colder, we begin to look at the appropriateness of outdoor activities. We will look beyond a specific temperature and consider factors such as wind chill, whether the ground is frozen or the sun is shining, how well the children are prepared to play outdoors (jackets, gloves, and hats), what activity the children are participating in, and the length of time to be spent outside. When the weather turns extremely cold, we have to balance students' needs for physical activity with the dangers that come from too much exposure to the cold. To keep our Grizzlies safe during these cold weather months, we have decided that our classes will not go outside for recess or PE when the wind chill is below 30 degrees Fahrenheit.

As we begin a new calendar year, much will be happening at school. This includes a variety of mid year assessments for math and reading for all students. As always, we will provide data from these assessments to families once they are complete. At the same time, we recognize that the information we share from these assessments and the terminology associated with them can be overwhelming. If you have any questions about your child’s performance, you can contact your child’s teacher or reach out to our reading specialist, Jen Raybold, or math specialist, Austin Eppenstein.

January also brings several events to GVES including second quarter awards assemblies for grades 1 - 5 on January 16 and 17 and the beginning of after school clubs for 3rd - 5th graders. More information will be coming soon but this is a great time to review parking and dismissal procedures for such events. As always, you will need to show an ID to enter the building during the school day including for awards ceremonies. For club pick up, you will head straight to the classroom where the club is held to pick up your students and show your ID to the club sponsor.

Parking for awards events and clubs can be tricky. Please avoid parking on the road near the water tower as this is off limits for parking. There is a small lot near the Dixon-Smith Middle School track that has a paved path leading to GVES. It is an uphill walk but is a safe option away from traffic. Additionally, be aware that ceremonies held at the end of the day near dismissal time can result in cars being blocked in by car rider traffic. Our car rider team is focused on student safety so please follow their directions as they work to safely integrate you into the car rider flow for exiting the building.

Wishing you and your families a safe, happy, and healthy new year!

Michael B. Sidebotham

Principal

sidebothammb@staffordschools.net

During this time of the year, inclement weather often becomes an important topic for families. With snow creeping into the forecast, I would like to remind parents that there are several ways to get up-to-date information on early dismissals, delays, and closings. Please review your plan with your child if school would unexpectedly dismiss early.

News media in the Fredericksburg, Richmond, and DC areas are notified of our closings, including:

• Free Lance-Star
• Washington Post
• WFLS 93.3, The Vibe 99.3, The Rock 96.9, WNTX 96.5
• WBQB 101.5, WFVA 1230 AM
• Thunder 104.5, WGRQ 95.9
• WTOP 103.5
• ABC 7 WJLA
• CBS 6 WTVR
• FiOS 1
• NBC 4 WRC
• NBC 12 WWBT
• FOX 5 WTTG
• CBS 9 WUSA
• ABC 8 WRIC

Closing updates are also available on the division’s social media pages. Follow us on Facebook at www.facebook.com/staffordschools.

A phone call, text, email and mobile app notification are sent via ParentLink to all phone numbers and emails subscribed to emergency alerts. Phone calls can occur as early as 5:30 a.m. Contact your child’s school to update, add, or remove your contact information from the emergency alert system.

Stafford County offers a subscription-based emergency alert system. Options for notification include text, email, phone call, and TTY/TTD device. In addition to school updates, Stafford Alerts allows you to subscribe to updates on traffic, government closures, parks and recreation, public utilities, and more. https://member.everbridge.net/index/892807736722299#/signup

A voice message is placed on the Central Office line at (540) 658-6000 in the event of an emergency closing.

1/1- 1/4 No School Winter Break

1/6 and 1/7 No School Students

1/8 - 1/10 Snow Days No School Students

1/13 Seaperch 3-4:30

1/15 Chorus 7:30, PTA Spirit Night Wild Waylon's 4-8

1/16

Awards 3rd 8:40- 9:15

Awards 5th 9:30- 10:15

Awards 4th 2:10- 2:45

1/17

Awards 2nd 8:45- 9:20

Awards 1st 9:30- 10:10

1/20 Student/ Staff Holiday MLK Day

1/22 Chorus 7:30

Grades 3- 5 Clubs 3:20- 4:10 (please pick students up on time)

1/23 Seaperch 3-4

1/27 Seaperch 3-4:30

1/29 Chorus 7:30

Grades 3- 5 Clubs 3:20- 4:10 (please pick students up on time)

1/31

3rd Grade Chinese New Year Celebration

Please join us in congratulating Megan Wilkinson

The CDC and the Virginia Department of Health (VDH) are reporting a rise in cases of norovirus, a highly contagious gastrointestinal virus often referred to as the "stomach flu." Norovirus spreads quickly and can come on suddenly, causing symptoms such as nausea, vomiting, and diarrhea.

To help minimize the spread of the virus at Grafton, we are reminding families to keep sick children at home. The illness typically lasts 24 to 48 hours. Students may return to school once they have been free of fever, vomiting, and diarrhea for at least 24 hours without the use of medication.

Additionally, we will be strongly encouraging hand washing, as hand sanitizer is not effective in combating norovirus. Frequent, thorough hand washing remains one of the best ways to prevent the spread of this illness.

Thank you for your cooperation in helping keep our school community healthy!

January is a wonderful time to take a moment to reflect. Check out a few of our reflections from the first half of the year!

• Our Grizzlies checked out 13,495 books.

• We added close to 200 books to our library collection with library, weeding, and book fair funds.

• We were able to repair 2 returned books that were damaged.

• We had 30 books returned too wet, moldy, sticky, or damaged to be checked out by other students.

• We had a successful book fair and greatly appreciate the support of our GVES staff and families!

• Students in grades K-5 created an amazing storybook pumpkin patch in the library.

• Author David Biedrzycki engaged and entertained students and staff before signing over 100 books for our kids.

• We had fun meeting, learning, and sharing new books during almost 500 class periods.

• K-5 classes participated in One Book, One School by reading The One And Only Ivan with their classroom teachers.

• We collaborated with Mrs. Armstrong to program different robots to parade through “the streets” of our mini New York City constructed by our Grafton families during the November STEAM night,

• We received county makerspace funds and got lots of new supplies that we can't wait for our students to utilize in 2025.

We are excited and looking forward to sharing new books, materials, and programs that are in the works with our Grizzly students, staff, and families!

We encourage students to keep their books in their backpacks each day so that they can read, return, or renew them while at school. Please don’t place water bottles or lunch boxes inside your backpack where they can damage books.

Congratulations to all of our Chorus students who performed beautifully to spread holiday cheer at Viva Senior Living, Charter Senior Living, and at GVES!

4th and 5th grade students had the option of taking recorders home over Winter Break. Please remember these important things:

- Keep your recorder in your backpack so you’ll be prepared when you need it at school again beginning January 8th.

- Wash your recorder using warm, soapy water, and lay on a towel to dry.

- 5th grade: keep track of your paper copy of “Ode to Joy” as we will be using it in January.

Art Room Supply Requests:

Wrapping paper tubes

Pie tin trays

Masking tape

Liquid glue

Sharpies

PTA Board

President: Kelly Sienkowski

Hospitality: Annmarie Mulholland

Ways & Means: Jenna Grabowski

Treasurer: Jodi Smith

Secretary: Ali Johnstone

Events: Amanda Lamberton

CONTACT INFORMATION: GraftonPTA@gmail.com

Our Grizzly staff is participating in the Coldest Night of the Year walk again this year! If you would like to help sponsor our team please see the link below.

Grafton Village Elementary School 2024- 2025 Yearbook Order Form

Pricing & Deadlines $20.00 until 4/2/2025

- Yearbooks are for sale! Order online at: www.strawbridge.net Online code YB31659 $20 each

Did you know you can rent "The Rocks" located in front of the school for special occasions? It is a great way to spread positive messages and increase excitement in our community. All requests must be made via email to graftonpta@gmail.com. Rock the Rental as the subject. The PTA will confirm approval of the rental date and rock message before the rock rental can be purchased.

CELL PHONE POSSESSION AND PHONE WATCHES: The Stafford County Code of Conduct states: “Elementary school students shall not be permitted to use or display such devices while on school grounds unless expressly authorized by staff”. Students are asked to keep their phones off and away during school hours.

Mike Sidebotham, Principal

Sarah Stinson, Vice Principal

Kim Overton, Bookkeeper

Stacee Rogers, Registrar

Kelly Davis, Administrative Assistant

Kristina Bourne, Administrative Assistant

Amy Pisciotta, Nurse

Leah Malloy, Special Education Department Chair

If you need to pick your child up from school, please notify the office by email or phone prior to arriving and bring your ID.

SACC – Stafford and Spotsylvania
540-371-9622
Alicia Kindred – Executive Director, ext 2033
Virginia Murphy – SACC Operations Director, ext 2001

Julie Washington, Cafeteria Manager washingtonja@staffordschools.net

• George Schlegel
  Area 1 Coordinator
  📞 540-374-8580
  Route Numbers: 101-199
• Dispatch 540-374-8585